Wednesday, June 30, 2004

Just hopped off of CNN.com where I read a story about animal abuse. It seems in Tulsa, OK six puppies were wounded or killed when someone put fireworks in their mouths and used them for moving targets!! To see the whole story go here. I'll be glad to see the day, when every state makes these crimes class E felony offenses. Tennesse just passed an animal cruelty felony offense law last May. I applaud the Tennessee General Assembly for this! I just want to scream it makes me so mad. People need to realize there is a definite link between animal abuse and violent crime. I just hope they find whoever committed this horrible deed and reciprocate their actions, because that is what they deserve. All I can do is educate, I suppose, to teach people this kind of behavior is unacceptable! This is just going to make me stew all afternoon now. Made me think to post this passage that I got from one of my animal lists once:

The Animal Saviour
I looked at all the caged animals in the shelter….the cast-offs of human society.
I saw in their eyes love and hope, fear and dread, sadness and betrayal. And I was angry. “God,” I said, “this is terrible! Why don’t you do something?” God was silent for a moment and then He spoke softly. “I have done something,” He replied. “I created you.”
~The Animals’ Saviour Copyright Jim Willis 1999

Despite having a busy day at work yesterday, I was anxious to get home and see how Diva and Madison's adoption went. It seems that everything went very smoothly. The ladies were quite taken with the dogs and vice versa. It looks like a permanent bond was made. All of the details were finalized, e-mail addresses exchanged, and many tearful goodbyes were made before Diva and Madison drove off into the sunset bound for their new forever home in Kansas City, MO. I'm so happy that everything went so smoothly. I was a big ball of nerves sitting here at work wondering if everything was working out o.k. My brother made lots of pictures of everything, and hopefully I can get some of those posted here today or tomorrow.
I'm busily working on the last bit of paperwork for the Animal Friendly spay/neuter grant that our shelter was awarded about this time last year. I wrote it, and our shelter coordinator and I have been running the program ever since. We have spent nearly all of the $12,650 dollars that we were awarded. That's definitely going to prevent a lot of unwanted animals. The last day to have spays and neuters done is tomorrow. The paperwork deadline is shortly after that, so we are trying to get everything finished, totaled, and logged. If anyone still needs to get a low cost spay/neuter done in the middle Tennessee area, I suggest the Beesley Animal Humane Foundation. They have great deals on spay/neuter and also vaccinations. You can visit their website for more information here.
After I had gotten all of the wonderful details about the adoption, it was time to get Bear ready, load him up in the car, and make the trip out to see Jennie at Kindred Spirits. He was so excited on the car ride over that I'll have the proof of scratches on my legs for days to come. He usually rides really well in the car, but for occassion like this to come, I'm going to get him a crate. We had the backseat full of those cat trees from Happy Tales Humane, so we couldn't hook up his seatbelt harness. Anyway, we finally arrived. Bear was so excited and didn't seem scared or upset by any of this at all. He took it all in stride. We finally got him out into the exercise yard and took him off of his leash. He didn't quite know what to do with himself! He was so funny! He just slowly investigated the perimeter, and didn't even run around much. He finally let us know after about 20 minutes that he was ready to go back inside. He really began to calm down then and really start liking the place. He got to investigate the sleeping kennels, which are HUGE by the way, and visit with the other dogs and the kennel cat. It seems that he'll have plenty of playmates during his visit. I took his vaccination records and filled out all of the necessary paperwork. That way, I won't have to worry about getting all of that done next week, as we're leaving out for vacation. All in all, it was a very successful visit. I think Bear's going to have a great little vacation of his own. I'm still a little nervous about him being away from home, but I know that Jennie will take excellent care of him. He was completely exhausted by the ride home and slept in my lap. In fact he was zonked pretty much for the rest of the night.
Today is the last day of ADOPT A SHELTER CAT MONTH. Please, if you are interested in adopting a new family member, please consider adopting a shelter animal!! Click the petfinder banner or button to begin your search or click here Don't forget to click the Animal Rescue Site button to help feed shelter animals!
Toodles!

Tuesday, June 29, 2004

This past weekend ended up being absolutely HUGE for me! So much happened that it's going to be hard for me to get it all in one update, so bear with me! Sunday, I went back for the second day of the agility trials. My Mom went with me, and after a brief stop for lunch at the Krystals for lunch, we were on our way. They had so much activity going on. The classes we saw were mostly of Collies and Shepherds. We also got to see the Novice class go through their set as well. I really liked the Border Collies the best! They were so fast and agile. At times, they looked like little black and white snakes going through those weave poles! After the agility trials, Mom and I mosied on over to the Rec Center pool. I managed to get 32 laps in, along with adding to my tan (I'm trying to get a little sun, so I don't fry in Florida next week).
Yesterday was a fun day as well. Casey and I both had the day off. Since the weather wasn't fit for swimming, we decided to go to Franklin, TN to do some interesting shopping. We went to a new aquarium shop called Fins of Franklin. It's set up a whole lot like Aquatic Critter, and we really liked it. Then we went to this place called The Factory at Franklin. It's an old refurbished factory building that they've turned into a mall of sorts. We visited the Viking cooking supply store. Casey bought a really neat, square storage container, and a couple of other things. It had everything a chef could possible want, including offering cooking classes. Across the hall we got to visit Happy Tales Humane. Casey and looked at their facility at great length. They have such a wonderful set up there. We visited their dog and their cat room. We got to talk with the assistant shelter manager, Kris Phifer, there too. They had some of the most impressive cat trees in their cat room that I've ever seen. Casey was asking if they'd been custom made, because he and I are interested in building some for the shelter. Well, Ms. Phifer, said they had extras that they'd be happy to share with us! So, thanks to Happy Tales Humane, we now have 2 new cat trees and 3 flats of canned cat food for our kitties at the shelter!! It was such a generous, unexpected gift!! I just can't believe it!! After loading our gifts from Happy Tales, Casey and I went on over to Wild Oats organic grocery. They have some fabulous food stuffs there. We got to sample some fruit and ended up buying some pasta, cheese, and chocolate covered cranberries. Mmmmmm! That's our busy weekend in a nutshell.
Today promises to be busy as well. I have a full schedule at work. Also, today the ladies from Kansas City are coming to meet Diva and Madison. I'm a little nervous, but I'm sure everything will work out fine. Also after work, Bear is scheduled to make his first pre-vacation visit to Kindred Spirits. He should enjoy that very much! I'll post all the details tomorrow. Until then!! Toodles!

Saturday, June 26, 2004

Just got back a little while ago from the agility competition. It was SOOOOOO much fun! We got to see just two classes of competiton. We watched the little dogs do things like the see-saws, ramps, and tires, and then we watched the big dogs do the high jumps, weave poles, and tunnels. I think we liked the little dogs best, especially the Welsh Corgis. They just flew with their little stumpy legs pumping! Too cute. Anwway, the show is going on tomorrow as well. I'm planning on coming here to swim anyway, so I figure I'll come in early, watch the agility competition, pick up Casey, and then get myself to the pool. Sounds like a full day huh? Oh well. Everyone have a nice weekend! Until next time......

No, I'm not talking about the 80's album from The Police. I just love it when I have a day when everything falls into place. It started out this morning. I was visiting dispatch this morning, which is where Casey works. See, Casey and I are sharing a car temporarily (waaaay long story), and I can't come to work until my building opens on Saturdays, so I wait in dispatch until opening time. It was such fun today! We had a great breakfast delivered from IHOP. I had the cheese blintzes for the first time, and let me tell you, they are FABULOUS!! It's almost like eating a dessert for breakfast! They were so rich, I was only able to eat 1 out of the 3 that were prepared. Everyone that was working dispatch today was hilarious. I haven't laughed that hard in a long time before 7 a.m. I finally left for work, and realized one of my best friends, Melissa is working with me today. She told me that there is a dog agility show going on across campus. We decided to take our lunch break and go over and watch some of the show! I can't wait! I've always wanted to see an agility competition. I've been thinking about getting Bear into agility, after his obedience training. Anyway, I'm too excited about that......
NOW THE BEST PART:
Yesterday, the adoption coordinator at my shelter, put me in charge of making adoption arrangements for 2 little Lhasa Apso mix dogs that are being fostered at my brother's house. We've received so many good applications, but one stood out. I took down names and numbers and made the call last night. These 2 ladies sound like GREAT pet parents! They are making a 9 hour drive next week, just to meet these little dogs. Sounds like these little girls are going to be very pampered. Anyway, long story short, my first adoption arrangements have been successful so far, and I managed to get them both taken together!! The sun, moon, and stars must be aligned for me today. NOTE TO SELF: Play the Powerball tonight....... Anyway, I'm too excited over all of today's events that have made me really happy!!! I just love it when a plan comes together! I'm posting the little dogs' pictures below, so you all can see just how cute they are too!!! I'll give another update this afternoon after the agility show...too cool!!! TAH!
Diva and Madison: Two lucky little girls that are about to get a nice, new, wonderful home!

Friday, June 25, 2004

It's a furry day in many US offices today. Today is Take Your Dog to Work Day!! This sounds like so much fun, unfortunately, I'm not able to participate at my office. I can just imagine all of those offices with little "furred" employees running around today. Sounds like a complete scream!
I bought the local newspaper, night before last, and discovered that they had printed some pictures of the Fur Ball that I attended. I tried scanning the pictures to post for you all here, but they turned out a bit weird looking. I'll keep working on them and hopefully have at least one for perusal soon.
The weather is horrible here today. The rain is coming down in torrents with no end in sight today. I had booked myself to help work an event across campus today, because I figured it would be fun to get out of the office for just a bit. Now, I'll just end up trudging across campus in the rain. I'll come back with the cuffs of my jeans and my shoes soaked, I'm sure. It's always so cold in my office THAT should be fun! I guess it's good weather if you are a duck or frog.
I don't have that much planned for the weekend, except to swim OF COURSE!!. I may try to work on the house a little bit and get that madness whipped into some order. I'd really like to leave for vacation this year with a clean house. I worked a couple of hours over yesterday, so I'll get to leave a little earlier tomorrow. I'm planning on going to a local PetSmart in Nashville to visit with the local greyhound rescue. If and when Casey and I get to buy our house with a big fenced in backyard, I'd love to adopt a greyhound. I've always just loved them! I figured it would be fun to go and make some greyhound friends and sign up to volunteer for the local resuce, Greyhound Pets of America - Nashville. I'll give you all a full report on Monday. Maybe I can even take my camera and get a couple of shots while I'm there. Until next time...

Well it's Thursday and again for many weeks in a row, I'm no powerball winner. I must be the biggest aspiring lottery winner that I know. I just somehow hold out that hope, since I'm going to do something really worthwhile with the money that I'll win. Speaking of lottery winners, I received this in my inbox this morning and I thought I'd share with you all....

The Lottery Winner?
Having finished driving the stainless steel cross into
the ground that I had fabricated at our welding and
machine shop, I stood up to look at it.
Many happy memories flooded my mind and the tears
flooded down my cheeks as I reflected back over the
years of great and happy times spent together. Riding
in the boat fishing, flying in our plane to our west texas
office, walks through the woods, trips in the pickup,
beachcombing, arrowhead hunting at the ranch, helping
(or hindering)with cattle roundup and many many other
fun hours spent together.
It was early summer 1981 when Misty Blue, my one dark
eye, one blue eyed Heeler passed away suddenly. We
had been fun partners for sixteen years and she had been
active until the abrupt end by heart failure I was told.
I turned to look at the sad faces and tears of my wife and
children, then back at the inscription I had welded to the
face of the cross. "We Will Meet At The Rainbow Bridge
Someday Sweetheart- Misty Blue, 1965-1981".
"I will never, ever have another dog. They just don't live
long enough and it's too painful, like losing one of you
when they go." I told my family.
Fast forward to a cold, drizzling January night during
supper 1997.
The phone rang.
"My two pitbulls have your little puppy cornered in my
garage" my neighbor said.
"Puppy? I don't own a puppy." Was my reply.
"Oh! There's been a little dog hanging around a couple
of days stealing catfish food from the sack in the
garage. I've run her off several times" My wife said.
"I'll be right there" as I told my neighbor not to let her
get hurt.
There she was, all two pounds of her, teeth bared at the
two giant pitbulls, bluffing her meaness, trying to save
herself.
I picked her up and she squirmed quickly inside my coat
and up to my armpit shaking uncontrollably.
Back at the house I showed her to my wife who told me
that was the dog she had been scaring out of the
garage.
She smelled the food on the table and while still shaking
started to sniff and lick her lips in anticipation of some
food. She was starving.
Leaving her on a heating pad in a bathtub, I went to the
store and got her some good dog food since I knew
table food was not good at all for her. She filled up.
The next morning I called the paper and started a free,
three day, found ad for lost pets. I also contacted
Animal Control and Lost Pet Hotline to alert them.
The newspaper ad read, "Found Chihuahua, call and
identify". We thought she was a chihuahua cross of
some kind at that time.
Five AM or so, I'm reading the paper. The phone rings,
"Nope, not her", the other line lights up, "Nope" and it
is nearly continual calls, but no one identifies her. This
goes on for two weeks.
At supper one night my wife looked at me as I held her
while she affectionately licked my hands . "Too late
now, isn't it" she said.
"Yep, what are we going to name her?" I replied.
"Whaaaateeeeever!" My wife slowly breathed out.
And so it was to the vet for getting into good shape with
shots, pills and tags. She got a bath and shampoo to go
with her new collar.
The vet checked her profile and determined she wasn't
a chihuahua cross but a short legged toy rat terrier.
Fine with me.
She now goes everywhere with us. She guards the truck,
our home, the office, and anyplace we stay. We go on the
boat fishing and check the garden together. She has set
herself up as chief squirrel and swan monitor so they don't
get too close to me.
This past summer we spent two weeks fishing in Alaska
together. The airline stewardesses and surrounding
passengers just adored and petted her on both going and
return flights. She just loved the attention from everyone.
She beat the odds of finding a loving caring home.
Especially with a guy that rarely if ever goes back on
his words,,,,. Well, this is different? Right?
Friends and the office staff call her the lottery winner.
Mark Crider

Seems like a pretty sweet lottery winning to me.
Bear Vacation update:
I did speak with Jennie last night, and Bear has an appointment next Tuesday to visit and make his reservations at his vacation resort. Jennie said that she'd work with him off lead, so maybe he can romp freely (always supervised of course) in my yard someday. Since she has fenced in areas, it's easier for her to teach it, rather than me do it in my open yard and risk him sprinting away into the street. I think this will be a very interesting and fun visit. There's no telling what he'll learn while he's away. He's always been so easy to train. Well, gotta run. I have a workshop that I've got to attend today. It's a webcast, and because I was the first one to sign up, I have to coordinate the whole thing. Boy, are THEY in for a suprise. Until next time......

Wednesday, June 23, 2004

This weather is completely oppressive. I'm tired of trying to gasp for breath through this humid mist mass they're calling air these days. I'm ready for a cool front to come through and bring some low humidity and some sunny days. BUT, that's just my wish isn't it? It's grey and rainy out again today. Looks like the chance of rain will be with us for forever. It's making for an awfully hard time waking up, and it's also squashing my creativity. I do have one thing to mention, anyway.
When I got here this morning and checked my e-mail, I found my weekly newsletter from The Humane Society of the United States. Seems that this coming Friday, June 25th, is National Take Your Dog to Work Day. You can read all about it's origins here. Although I think this may not be practical for everyone, it sure would be fun to try. They say it's a great reliever of work place stress. Now, THAT I can believe. I can have one of the most stressful days, but when I get home with my animals, it all seems to just melt away. I know that pets are recommended for lowering blood pressure too! I know that this might not be a stress relief for everyone, especially for those with allergies and fear of animals, but it could do some of us a world of good. I can just see it now. Me, wagging Bear into work with me. Don't you think he'd be funny at a University Library? He's so social and good with people. He's completely won over my entire neighborhood. I know of one big corporate workplace that does promote pets in the workplace. It's Replacements, Ltd. They are a company that provides hard to find and discontinued china, crystal, etc. In fact, you can log on to find out about their pets in the workplace policy here. By logging on, I just learned they were the very first company to help creat Bring Your Pet to Work Day. I think it would be great to have more places like that. They must be a wonderful company to work for. Sign me up!
Just on an extra side note, I called Kindred Spirits yesterday. I am the process of setting up an appointment for Bear to go out and familiarize himself with the facility. I don't want to just drop him off in some place that's completely foreign to him. I left Jennie a message yesterday, so hopefully we'll have the introduction scheduled soon. I'll let you know the details of the visit afterwards.
Well, that's about it folks. Keep on thinking free...until next time!

Tuesday, June 22, 2004

Since I mentioned The Animal Rescue Site in my previous post, I thought I would make it super easy for my blog readers to participate. Just click on the banner below or the button on the sidebar to help feed shelter animals. There you go!! As easy as that!
I'll place a permanent button on my sidebar as a reminder, so you may click every time you read my blog. Keep on contributing to animal welfare!!

I ended up having a pretty lazy weekend. All I did was swim for two days. I am up to 24 laps in the pool now, and I still have some breath left. I'm starting to feel really good about this swimming thing I've adopted. I'm also getting a pretty nice tan too! Casey did cook some fabulous meals this weekend. Last night, he made this new recipe that he got off of the Alton Brown show on The Food Network. It was called 40 Cloves and a Chicken, and it turned out fabulous. For sides, he made fettucine alfredo and steamed broccoli. After all of those laps in the pool, the dinner was a welcome treat. Mmmmm, and I have all of those wonderful leftovers for lunch too! It's nice to have a husband that can and loves to cook!!!
That's about it for my weekend. I just want to take a minute here and remind everyone about The Animal Rescue Site. Take a break and visit their website today. Everytime you click their icon, you help to feed homeless, shelter animals. It's free and easy! So, click away my friends.....until next time.....

Saturday, June 19, 2004

I've been thinking a lot about vacation today. I looked on the calendar and realized that we'll be leaving 2 weeks from this coming Wednesday!! That was a nice suprise! This year we are going to spend a few days at Daytona Beach and a few days in Orlando. Anyway, I've been preparing a mental list of "to do's", since yesterday afternoon. Let's see:
Pack my bag
Pack Casey's bag (The last time Casey packed his own bag, he ended up with 2 t-shirts and 7 pairs of shorts. Needless to say, we spent a lot of time at the Disney Resort laundry. And Casey, if you're reading this....I love you!)
Pack Bear's bag.
What? you ask. Pack Bear's bag? Yes, Bear will be experiencing a little vacation of his own this year. While we are away, he will be spending 7 fun-filled days and nights at Kindred Spirits training facility operated by Jennie Jones. I highly recommend this facility if you need to board or train your animals. Jennie's the best and has a top notch facility. She specializes in obedience, therapy work, and is beginning agility. Anyway, I realized that I just might need to pack a few necessities for Bear to take with him. Let's see there's the dog bed, so he can have it with him in the kennel at night, a few of his favorite toys, his food, and his treats. Then I have to make sure to pack his harness, collar, leash, and vaccination papers. Whew!! This list is getting longer by the minute. He will get a little training while he's there and lots of playtime. There are 2 big, fenced-in exercise yards there. One for the little dogs, and one for the big dogs. I just know that he'll enjoy running around, outside without his leash. He needs that kind of exercise. My mom and brother will be taking care of the other dogs, cats, and lizards, while we are away. So, we'll have very little to worry about while we are gone. I know that Slate, my chihuahua, will enjoy Bear's vacation as well. He tolerates Bear really well, but would much prefer he fell off a cliff or something. Slate likes to be the only boy baby in the house.
Too much to do and to think about. Too many lists to complete. And as always, I'll get down there and realize that I've forgotten something really important. Oh well, such is life! I think I can go on now, knowing vacation is looming close. Everyone have a terrific weekend!! Tah!!
Bear in anticipation of his summer holiday!
Slate in anticipation of Bear's summer holiday!

Friday, June 18, 2004

Well folks, it seems that I've missed another day posting. I have a good excuse, really. There I was, innocently sitting at the lunch table on Wednesday minding my own business, munching my roasted chicken sandwich. When all of the sudden, I felt something fly into my eye. Thinking it was just the ordinary, loose eyelash, I proceeded to the ladies restroom and began the hunt. About 20 minutes and much eyewatering later, I had produced no results, and the pain was only getting worse. I even tried washing my eye out with water. With no luck, I finally just tried to ignore my eye. I just figured that I had gotten something in my eye, it had come out, and I had just irritated it by rubbing, poking, proding. By the time that I picked Casey up from work, I was in total misery. He agreed to do the afternoon drive home, since I was somewhat blinded by the watering eyes. I finally made it home to some eye drops. I figured that would help by moisturizing and soothing my eye. As I squeezed those wonderful, luscious drops into my eyes, I waited for the immense relief that I just knew would follow. That was NOT the case. I probably broke the world record for the most obscenities strung together in a row. It felt like I'd poured pure alcohol into my eye. That's when I knew that I had a problem. I ended up calling my optemetrist, Dr. Hasty. He's always very good to do work in's in his schedule. He said to come right away, and he'd have a look at me. I got to the office, signed in, and was led back to the pre-exam area. The nurse checked my vision, which was funny, since my eyes were watering so badly that I could barely see anyway. She also tested the pressure to check for eye injury as well. After all of that, I finally was seated in the exam chair. Then the fabulous, wonderful relief finally occurred, when the Dr. put the deadening drops in my eyes to prepare for the inspection. After a little poking, proding, and swabbing, he'd identitfied the problem and removed a piece of metal the size of a pin head that had been embedded in my eye lid. It seems that every time I'd blinked, since lunchtime, I had been scratching the surface of my eye with this metal. I had a pretty nasty looking eye. He used some antibiotic drops in my eye and sent me home with special eye drops. He also told me to return on Thursday, so he could take a look at the progress and give me another dose of antibiotic drops. I felt much better then, until the deadening drops wore off about 7:30 that night. Had a fitful night, and ended up taking off from work yesterday. After my second round of antibiotics yesterday afternoon, I finally feel as if I'm on the mend. The only thing that puzzles me now is where in the world did that metal come from? The world may never know. Hopefully, that will be the end of my trials for the week and things will get back to normal now.
For all of you fellow dog lovers head on over to the Tails In Need website. This is an organization that promotes care and adoption of mixed breed dogs. They are sponsoring a contest called The Great American Mutt. Just click on one of the banners, and you'll be taken there.
So, if you have a mixed breed dog, go ahead and enter. I think I will too! Until next time.....

Wednesday, June 16, 2004

Sorry that I've not posted before now. I ended up being unavailable yesterday. The fur ball went down great! Despite the pouring rain, which began the minute I walked out the door from work, the fur ball was fabulous! It was held at a local place in Wartrace called The Garage. It was an old refurbished car garage, that had previously served as a hardware shop. There were two refurbished cars on display on the inside. One was a 1966 Super Sport, I believe (I'll try to make sure in the mean time), and the other one was white. I'm not sure what it was. There were round tables set up, and about 8 people could sit at one table. They had the cutest flower arrangements made for the table. They were made from wildflowers and Mighty Dog dog food cans. Everyone had a name tag made that looked like a paw print. They had a great band playing, but not so loud that you couldn't talk and visit. The food was superb! They had a cold bar going. There was different kinds of pasta salad, potato salad, macaroni salad, green been salad, etc., chips, chicken salad sandwiches, and ham n' biscuits. The best was the homemade chocolate icecream they'd handcranked. There were about 40 people there. Everything had been donated, so all monies made were profit. It was a very nice crowd, and I enjoyed visiting with everyone there. I did make some very good contacts, and it is nice to know that two groups are now working together within Bedford County. I really owe this one to my friend, Jennie Jones, at Kindred Spirits, for informing me of this event. I even won one of the doorprizes. Casey even commented how much fun this event was. Of course, he enjoyed having Jennie's husband, Jason, to visit with as well. It was an enjoyable evening indeed!
I didn't do much else over the weekend. I did manage to get back to the pool on Sunday. I've made a pact with myself to improve the number of laps I can swim. I did much better this Sunday, and it wasn't nearly as hard. Hopefully by the end of the summer, I'll be swimming like a fish again. Casey went with me, and enjoyed the pool and relaxation as well. Monday was a yucky day. Must've gotten water in my ears from the pool, because I woke up with a horrible earache. Tried to ease it for most of the day, so I didn't get anything accomplished. I just managed to watch Sex in the City, which my friend, Melissa, had loaned me. I'd never seen any of this series, and I really enjoyed it. Because of the ears, I ended up taking yesterday off too. I feel some better today, so hopefully I'll be back to my old self soon!
Don't worry if you can't see pictures on my site right now. Photobucket, which hosts my pictures, site is down. Hopefully, they'll be back up and running soon. Until next time...
ADOPT A NEW FRIEND FOR LIFE AT YOUR LOCAL SHELTER!!!

Saturday, June 12, 2004

Well, today is it. Tonight Casey and I are going to attend the Wartrace Fur Ball. The monies raised through this event will be used to offset spay/neuter costs for the community. I see this event as a good opportunity. It is within Bedford County, and my association serves Bedford County. I see this as a way to get a whole, second, very interested group involved with our organization. We might even get some new recruits volunteered that would enable us to keep our shelter open. We've already had a 17 year old student volunteer, during her summer off. I think she is going to come in several times a week and walk dogs for us. I'm looking forward to making new friends and connections tonight. This may just be a turning point for us. I know one of the ladies helping to organize tonight's event. Her name is Jennie Jones, and she is a professional dog trainer with her own business called Kindred Spirits. This is a top notch facility. It is where Bear will be taking his holiday, while we are in Florida this year. I'm sure that he'll just love running around in all that fenced in area. Anyway, I told Jennie that I'd bring some pasta salad. I made it up last night, so it should be good and chilled by tonight. It's going to be like a big picnic, I think, with all this great homemade food and lots of homemade icecream. Anway, everyone have a great weekend, and I'll give a full report of the Fur Ball next week! I'm going to post a few pictures of Bear, since I talk about him all of the time.
Bear in our yard. January 2004.
Bear when we went to pick him up as we rescued him.
Me and Bear when we were getting a shot for the newspaper upon being awarded the Tennesee Animal Friendly Grant that I wrote in November, 2003.
PLEASE PREVENT UNWANTED PETS. SPAY/NEUTER YOUR ANIMALS!

Friday, June 11, 2004

Casey and I have one of those push button, digital alarm clocks aka the Sony Dream Machine. It's rather nifty with the ability to set multiple alarms. Unfortunately, the push button for the alarm is across the top of the clock. Sometime in the night one of our "too cute for words" kittens walked across said button and un-set the alarm. I was awoke this morning by Casey quickly waking me up and telling me we were running very late. We usually pull out of the driveway at 5 a.m. and it was 5:20, when he woke up and realized that something was amiss. We made great time, so it ended up not being too bad, but now I'll have that "rushed" feeling all day long. We did deal with some extra traffic since the Tennessee Highway Patrol is re-routing traffic off of I-24 through Shelbyville to help alleviate congestion, due to the Bonnoroo Music Festival. I would love to go to one of these, but you can't just get a day pass. You have to buy the ticket for all three days, and considering it's hotter than hades here, I don't think I'd enjoy all three days of that. I would have loved to see Steve Winwood though. He's one of my fav's. In honor of my kitten hijinx this morning, I thought I'd share this little list with you all. I think maybe one of my dogs secretly wrote this....
Mind Games Dogs Can Play On Humans
1. After your humans give you a bath, DON'T LET THEM TOWEL DRY YOU!Instead, run to their bed, jump up and dry yourself off on the sheets. This is especially good if it's right before your human's bedtime.
2. Act like a convicted criminal. When the humans come home, put
your ears back, tail between your legs, chin down and act as if you have done something really bad. Then, watch as the humans frantically search the house for the damage they think you have caused. (Note: This only works when you have done absolutely nothing wrong.)
3. Let the humans teach you a brand new trick. Learn it perfectly. Then the humans try to demonstrate it to someone else, stare blankly back at the humans. Pretend you have no idea what they're talking about.
4. Make your humans be patient. When you go outside to go 'pee',
sniff around the entire yard as your humans wait. Act as if the spot you choose to go pee will ultimately decide the fate of the earth.
5. Draw attention to the human. When out for a walk always pick the busiest, most visible spot to go 'poo'. Take your time and make sure everyone watches. This works particularly well if your humans have forgotten to bring a plastic bag.
6. When out for a walk, alternate between choking and coughing every time a strange human walks by.
7. Make your own rules. Don't always bring back the stick when
playing fetch with the humans. Make them go and chase it once in a while.
8. Hide from your humans. When your humans come home, don't greet
them at the door. Instead, hide from them, and make them think something terrible has happened to you. (Don't reappear until one of your humans is panic-stricken and close to tears).
9. When your human calls you to come back in, always take your time. Walk as slowly as possible back to the door.
10. Wake up twenty minutes before the alarm clock is set to go off and make the humans take you out for your morning pee. As soon as you get back inside, fall asleep.

Thursday, June 10, 2004

If I had only won the powerball last night, I wouldn't have to be here today!! I'm such an aspiring lottery winner. I've already decided if I win, I would help so many causes. I'd like to give my shelter a million dollars to build a really nice building, and hire some paid employees. I'd like to buy my mom a nice house and fix her a nice bank account to live on for the rest of her life. I'd share with my friends. I think what I'd like to do is buy a house and a new car and set up a pet related business of my own. I'd really like to set up my own grooming shop. I'd like to builed the dream aquarium shop for Casey. Hopefully, it would come out a lot like a place in Nashville called Aquatic Critter. Oh, and I'd like to start an animal sanctuary too. And, and, and.....if I'd only won the powerball last night!! DRAT!! Until later....

Wednesday, June 09, 2004

Yes, yes, yes!! For any of you that have signed on to my blog before, you will notice that there a couple of new graphics to look at. For the last couple of weeks, I've been playing with this blasted template trying to figure out where to insert these nifty little graphics from one of my favorite websites, Petfinder.com After many trials and errors (and having not one clue about HTML), I finally have it. These little graphics are interactive with the website, and you can actually search for an adoptable pet! The one on the top lets you pick your own parameters, or you can use the one in the sidebar and search for pets at the shelter where I volunteer. If you are searching for a pet, please consider adopting a shelter pet!

I posted an update yesterday in good faith, but blogger either ate the post or shot it into cyberspace somewhere. This past weekend I watched a lot of t.v. and got to the movies. I managed to catch Down With Love on HBO. It's a great movie, and I just loved Ewan McGregor's character of Catch Block. It's got such a nostalgic overtone that I couldn't help but love it. I also got to see the season finale of The Sopranos. I've been addicted to this show for about the past four seasons. I won't give any details, in case someone may not have seen it yet, but I will say the finale is the last show that Steve Buschemi will be guest starring in for this series. Very, very good season ending. I hope they get into negotiations soon for a new season. I managed to catch the season 4 premiere of BBC's Coupling. To my suprise it was very good. I was disappointed that Richard Coyle would not be returning as Jeff Murdoch's character this season. They did have Steve talking to his character on the phone the whole show, so they have at least left the door open, in case he decides to return. The new character, Oliver, has been written in as a replacement for Jeff. Not a bad character, but they need to let him develop into his own character.
I did get to go see the new Harry Potter on Monday. I can certainly tell you that I was NOT disappointed. I think that I like this new one the best. I know there are others who disagree, but I'm still sticking to my opinion. The story line was a bit more mature, which was fitting since the characters are more mature in this particular story line. The photography and attention to detail were fabulous. Not to give anything plot wise away, one of my favorite details was the scenes of the whomping willow going through the change of seasons. So what did you guys think of it?
I know you won't believe this, but I did managed to get outside some this weekend. I completely shirked my home responsibilities and went to the pool on Sunday. I spent a nice afternoon just relaxing, listening to music, and tanning. I'd walked Bear earlier in the morning, so I had nothing to do after I came home but eat dinner, relax, and watch t.v. All in all, I had a very restful weekend.
This week, I've just been doing the mundane chore of working and doing things for the humane association. I went out to the shelter yesterday and visited with all of the dogs and cats. We only have six cats left, and two of those have adoption applications out on them. We've done very well in that area. We still have a lot of dogs to place. Every time we get those down in numbers, we end up having a huge litter of pups. Right now, we have a litter of 9 and their Mama. We've got a few applications out on those as well, so maybe we can get our numbers down soon. All of us volunteers are planning to go into one of the little unincorporated communities to attend their annual Fur Ball. They do this to help our county raise funds for spay/neuter purposes. It's like a great big bring your own dish dinner with homemade icecream. Sounds like it's going to be a lot of fun for a great cause. Well, gotta run for now. I'll post pics of the kittens as soon as I can. Until next time....
REMEMBER: June is adopt a shelter cat month
Please prevent unwanted pets...spay/neuter!!

Saturday, June 05, 2004

I almost forgot and let 5 days slip by without mentioning this. If you're gonna read my blog, get used to animal friendly PSA's. I'd do anything for an animal. Be prepared to see various and asundry animal related topics here.
This week:
June is Adopt a Cat Month! Get out there to those shelters and adopt yourself a friendly, purring friend!
Also take a minute to visit some of my favorite animal friendly websites:
The American Humane SocietyThe Humane Society of the United
States
If you are looking for available animals to adopt go to
Petfinder.com
Or you can donate without sending money by clicking the icon at The Animal Rescue Site This site provides food for shelter animals for everytime a viewer clicks.

A few months ago, Casey and I took in a stray cat. We felt compelled to do so, because this cat looks so much like our 12 year old cat, Lucy. For the present time, we've been calling her Deuxcy (party because deux is french for #2, and it's also fun to say with Lucy). I'm assuming we'll come up with a much better name for her soon. We soon realized, as is the case with most strays, that she was "with kitten". So, we started preparing for the little fuzzy bundles of joy that were soon to come. Five weeks ago today, May 1, that day came. We were gifted with three little bundles of kitten fun. We have two girls and a boy. We've named them Phoebe, Nala, and Mr. Perkins. Two are black and grey tiger stripped and the third one is a faint tiger strip, but more of a brindle look with a grey background. Just this past week, they've become such fun. They've turned from little grey rat-looking lumps into real kittens. They became really mobile around last Tuesday, meaning they are all over the bedroom, where Momma Cat had chosen to have them. They really love to play with Bear, the Schipperke. He just loves them to death. It is his dream to have other animals to play with. We've started lovingly calling him "Uncle Bear" to the kittens. To be a male, he sure does have some strong maternal insticts. He just loves bathing them! Casey also discovered last night that Phoebe can make it all the way up onto the bed on her own. Looks like we are in for some wild days ahead! With the addition of the stray and her three kittens, that brings our cat count up to six. With the 4 dogs, I am responsible for feeding and watering 10 furred creatures every night, and checking and cleaning multiple litter boxes. Casey takes care of the finned and scaled creatures. Our feeding time has gone from 20 min. to nearly an hour!! I think if it rains enough and our house floats, we could very well have our very own ark!! I'll send pics as soon as I get them downloaded from the camera. I have some really cute ones of Bear and kittens at about 3-4 weeks. Until then....adieu!

Friday, June 04, 2004

You know for many years, I fought against all of this Harry Potter craze. I just couldn't understand why all of the hype was being made by adults over a childrens' book. I got strongarmed, by a good friend, into seeing the first movie (I never really got into the Lord of the Rings triology, so I figured I might as well watch one series, at least). I was so blown away by the story that I began reading the books then. That was it!! I was hooked. I'm officially a "Pot"ter head now. Yes, along with millions of others I eagerly awaited the release of the 5th book last June. I was right in the middle of my reading bliss, when my Schipperke, Bear, read the middle with his teeth. Ended up buying another copy! So, today, all I'm thinking is how soon can I get to the theatre and see this treat! Do I want to try to go tonight with all of the Potter Mania craziness? We'll see. Hopefully, I'll have a review for you guys soon! Until later....Happy Harry Potter Day!

Thursday, June 03, 2004

Sorry for my lack of posting. I haven't been feeling too particularly creative lately. Seems life has gotten in the way. Now you ask, exactly what is an attack of the Big Blue? Well my friends, that is to say that I've had a Moody Blues weekend. See, the Moody Blues have been my favorite band, since I was a little girl. I make sure to see them in concert everytime the opportunity arises. This past weekend, they played at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center in Nashville, Tennessee. I purchased my tickets months in advance and managed to score 7th row center seats! Those are awesome seats for a concert in TPAC, because the venue holds only about 2500 people total. The floor area is very small. I went with a group of family and friends and had a FABULOUS time! The songs were GREAT! The lightshow was GREAT!!! The object of my affection, Justin Hayward looked GREAT!!! We had dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe in Nashville and met some other really nice Moodies fans! I've posted a pic of part of the group at the Hard Rock. Adieu until later, my friends!!
L-R: Tonie, Mary Ann, Cheryl, Margie (my Mom), Josh, Isobel, Leigh, and David